Baked Halloumi Fries You’ll Love! (Air Fryer Option Available)

Once you try these delicious baked halloumi fries hot out of the oven with a drizzle of lemon juice, I have a feeling they will be making a reappearance in your kitchen before too long!

The crispy edges surrounding the hot, stringy cheese make this vegetarian snack irresistible!

If you enjoy deep fried mozzarella sticks, you just may adore these baked halloumi fries! Halloumi is a bit saltier with a bit more zing, but is a similar texture to mozzarella.

Try serving these as finger food at your next gathering, as an appetizer or side dish, or even as a protein-packed main course with some supporting greens!

What is Halloumi?

If you’re not familiar with halloumi, it is a firm, salty, layered cheese (similar to how mozzarella is layered). This traditional cheese of Cyprus is best known for having a high melting point, so you can grill it, bake it, fry it, air fry it, etc. without it losing its shape.

It is brined all the way through, often with mint and other herbs, so you don’t even have to season it.

Halloumi also has a nice squeak to it when you chew it, so if you are a fan of Wisconsin cheese curds, you might want to give this dish a try!

I shared a bit about the origin of halloumi in my baked halloumi recipe, where the cheese is baked over a bed of kale, chickpeas, and cherry tomatoes drizzled with, you guessed it, lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil.

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Serving and Dip Suggestions

The fresh lemon juice truly transforms these baked halloumi fries, so I absolutely recommend that at the very least you drizzle some over them before serving.

I also added quite a bit of lemon juice to my plain Greek yogurt dip, along with garlic, dill, and paprika, for a lemony garlic yogurt dip in addition. You can also add some crushed red pepper flakes for some heat.

The double dose of lemon truly enhances the salty flavor of the halloumi cheese.

(Life hack: this same lemon garlic yogurt dip over toast makes a fantastic lazy meal for nights when you are too tired to cook.)

Other great options include:

• Sweet chili sauce
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Marinara sauce or ranch (like you would serve with mozzarella sticks)
• Honey (like you’d put on saganaki – Greek fried cheese)
• A hot honey sauce (think honey plus hot peppers)
• Garlic aioli
• Sour cream
• Pesto

Notes on the Ingredients

Halloumi

Halloumi comes in loaves or logs. Larger supermarkets tend to stock it (try larger Kroger stores or Sprouts). You could also check a Mediterranean deli if you are having troubling finding some.

If you can’t find halloumi cheese, you can substitute kasseri, paneer, or any hard cheese with a high melting point.

Fried and/or baked cheese in general is delicious, so you can’t go wrong!

Don’t worry about the milky liquid in the plastic with your halloumi – that’s just the brine keeping the cheese fresh. You can simply pour it down the sink. No need to rinse the cheese unless you want to get rid of some of the salt.

Flour

This helps the fries crisp up and also helps seal in the moisture. Rather than all purpose flour, you could use cornstarch or any flour of your choice.

Egg

This helps the breading stick, but you can substitute mayonnaise or milk, or skip if preferred.

Breadcrumbs

I used large Panko style breadcrumbs to add some nice crunch to the breading. Upon reflection, smaller breadcrumbs might be more aesthetically pleasing, but you can use whatever you have, or skip them altogether.

Lemon Juice

Please don’t skip this ingredient! It’s the second most important one after the halloumi, and it really elevates this dish!

You can pour a little in a small dish and dip if you’re not sure you’ll like the combo (but I think you will!).

Tips for making baked halloumi fries

• Use one hand for the flour and the other for the egg to keep your breading station a little tidier.
• Make sure your halloumi fries are not touching on the pan. This will ensure optimal browning and crispiness.
• Serve hot out of the oven for the best texture!
• If small pieces of halloumi break off when you are cutting your fries, you may want to eat them right away before you touch the breading station – raw flour and egg can make you sick.

Variations on this recipe

If you don’t want to fuss with different layers of breading, you can simply mix some spices like paprika, cumin, cayenne, etc. into the flour and do a single dip into the flour prior to baking.

Alternatively, you could roll the halloumi fries in mayonnaise first, then breadcrumbs for a simpler process. This can reduce waste as you won’t need a whole egg, and mayonnaise is pretty eggy itself.

If you don’t like the look of big Panko style breadcrumbs, you can always blitz them in a food processor to make them smaller.

In addition, you can add sesame seeds to your breadcrumbs for a heftier breading.

Baking allows for doubling this recipe easily, makes for easy clean up, and avoids the oil from frying.

That being said, frying and air frying are both faster if you are in a hurry.

Make Gluten-Free/Keto Baked Halloumi Fries!

If you are following a gluten free diet or in a hurry, you can literally just bake these halloumi fries as is without breading them. (The breading adds a nice, crispy touch, though!)

The cheese will still brown on the edges but retain its shape.

Of course you could also use almond flour, egg, then almond flour again as your coating.

Air Fryer Halloumi Fries

If you are making a single batch, it should all fit in your air fryer for faster cooking! (Double batches may work better in the oven, where they can all cook at once, or in multiple loads in the air fryer.)

Simply spritz the fries with cooking spray if desired, then air fry for about 5-7 minutes per side. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn! Air fryers cook faster than traditional ovens.

Stovetop Halloumi Fries

If you’re looking for authentic halloumi fries, rather than a baked variation, you can simply shallow fry them in a thin layer of a neutral oil on the stovetop.

A taller pan, such as a Dutch oven, will help contain the splashes of oil and make your clean up easier.

Wait until the oil is hot before adding the fries. If they go into oil that is too cool, they could end up greasier than you want.

Conversely, if the oil is too hot, the edges will get crispy before the insides are fully hot, so you’ll just need to do your best and keep an eye on them.

Can you make these baked halloumi fries ahead of time?

These baked halloumi fries are best hot out of the oven! The cheese has softened and the flavors and textures are ideal.

However, in the unlikely event that you have leftovers, they are best served after reheating in the oven or air fryer for about five minutes to re-soften the cheese and ensure the outsides are crispy.

Microwaving is not recommended as it can make the breading a bit soggy.

If you need to prep these ahead of time, you can bread them and leave them on the baking sheet in the fridge, and then bake them right before you will be serving them.

Storing

Again, you probably won’t have leftovers, and these fries are best hot, but they will keep fine for a few days in the fridge in an airtight container.

Air fry or bake to reheat before serving.

Are these baked halloumi fries good cold?

Once the halloumi cools, it hardens back up into its original texture, so it’s not as fun to eat as a fry. It’s more dense and doesn’t stretch anymore.

That being said, it does still taste great. Chopped baked halloumi fries go very well over a salad for a hearty topping.

Can you freeze halloumi?

Yes, if you will not be using halloumi cheese for a long time, you can freeze it for up to 6 months.

For this recipe, it would be best to slice the cheese into fries before freezing, then let the cheese thaw in the fridge before battering and cooking.

However, halloumi sealed in its original packaging can keep for up to a year in the fridge (according to BBC Good Food), so freezing is unlikely to be necessary unless your freezer is bigger than your fridge.

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Related Mediterranean Appetizers/Mezze Recipes

• Baked halloumi
• Stuffed grape leaves (dawali)
• Turkish yogurt dip (haydari)
• Hummus (or hommus)

Related Party Food Recipes

• Buffalo tofu wings
• Teriyaki cauliflower wings
• Deviled potatoes
• Korean sweet potato fries
• Guacamole

Ingredients for Baked Halloumi Fries

Before you begin, you will need:

EDIBLE INGREDIENTS

• One 8-ounce loaf of halloumi cheese
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• Juice of one lemon
• Cooking spray (optional but can encourage faster browning)
• Optional dip: plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, with dill and paprika or zaatar as desired

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

• Knife and cutting board
• Small bowls and plates
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Tongs, knife, or fork for turning the halloumi fries halfway

How to make Baked Halloumi Fries

1. First, preheat your oven to 350° F.
2. Then, set up a breading station with the flour and the egg in separate bowls, and the breadcrumbs on a small plate. Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. After that, cut your loaf of halloumi lengthwise in half, and then cut each half into sticks resembling steak cut French fries. I got 14 fries from one loaf, but depending on how big you cut them you could also make 12 or 8.
4. Then, coat each stick with flour, tapping off an excess. After that, coat each fry in egg, then coat with breadcrumbs and lay on the baking sheet, making sure they don’t touch.
5. If desired for more browning, spritz with cooking spray, then bake for 15 minutes. After that, turn them and bake for another 15 minutes.
6. Finally, drizzle with lemon juice, serve with a dip of your choice, and enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed this tasty recipe for baked halloumi fries!